Frequently Asked Questions
What are the changes for crop year 2023?
For crop year 2023, the Sugar Beet Crop Provisions are being updated to reinstate stage guarantees and a Stage Removal Option. For Imperial County, California, the changes take effect in the 2024 crop year.
How do stage guarantees and the Stage Removal Option differ from when they were included in the prior Crop Provisions?
Prior to the 2019 crop year, stage guarantees were included in the Crop Provisions. A separate endorsement provided a Stage Removal Option. Stage guarantees were removed for the 2019 crop year, which took away the stage removal endorsement. Effective for the 2023 crop year (except Imperial County, CA where this change will be effective for the 2024 crop year), RMA is reinstating stage guarantees into the Crop Provisions. The Stage Removal Option will be a permanent and codified new section of the Crop Provisions.
What are the impacts to premiums for crop year 2023?
If a producer does not elect the Stage Removal Option, stage guarantees will provide lower coverage for a reduced premium. If a producer elects the Stage Removal Option, their premium and coverage will be similar to crop years 2019-2022.
Does an insured have to elect the Stage Removal Option?
By default, the policy will include the stage guarantees at a reduced premium and reduced coverage. If an insured wants the Stage Removal Option, it must be elected by the applicable Sales Closing Date.
What is the early harvest adjustment?
The early harvest adjustment increases the current crop year’s early harvested yield by one percent per day for each day the sugar beets were harvested prior to the date the sugar beets would have reached full maturity, to the higher of the producer’s approved actual production history yield or the actual yield of the sugar beets harvested after full maturity from the unit. The factor is only applied when early harvest is requested by the processor. The purpose of the early harvest adjustment is to accommodate processor requests for early harvest of sugar beets and to provide a yield increase to insureds who harvest early before the crop has potentially reached its full yield capacity.